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BC-AP--Europe News Digest, AP

BC-AP--Europe News Digest, AP

BC-AP--Europe News Digest, AP

Oct. 08, 2014

https://www.apnews.com/5533a5b6b410430b87b0df5c8a0a313e

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TOP STORIES FROM EUROPE AT 1122 GMT

NOBEL-CHEMISTRY

STOCKHOLM — Americans Eric Betzig and William Moerner and German scientist Stefan Hell won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing methods that let microscopes see finer details than they could before. The three scientists were cited for "the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy," which the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said had surpassed the maximum resolution of traditional optical microscopes. By Karl Ritter and Malin Rising. SENT: 640 words, photos.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Lawyers for Kenya's president on Wednesday asked judges at the International Criminal Court to drop the crimes-against-humanity case against him — and acquit him — saying the prosecution has collapsed and cannot be resurrected. By Mike Corder. SENT: 640 words, photos.

UKRAINE

KIEV, Ukraine — At least 331 deaths have been reported in eastern Ukraine since last month's cease-fire deal between Russian-backed separatists and government troops, the United Nations said Wednesday. Hostilities are persisting in the main rebel-held city of Donetsk, as well as around the towns of Debaltseve and Schastye. By Peter Leonard. SENT: 390 words, photos.

EUROPE-KURDISH PROTESTS

BERLIN — Police in the northern German city of Hamburg say 14 people were injured overnight in clashes between Kurdish protesters and members of a hard-line Islamic movement. Police spokeswoman Karina Sadowsky said Wednesday that the clashes happened after hundreds of Kurds held a protest against the Islamic State group. Similar protests took place throughout Europe on Tuesday by Kurds seeking to draw attention to Islamic State's onslaught against the Kurdish town of Kobani in northern Syria. SENT: 130 words, photos.

EUROPE-JOBS

MILAN — European leaders will debate ways to find work for the continent's 25 million unemployed at a summit Wednesday, as popular frustration grows at authorities' failure to return the continent's economy to health. Several thousand union activists protested outside the venue, demanding a stop to government spending austerity policies and calling for reforms to encourage investment. By Colleen Barry. SEND: 410 words, photos.

EUROPE-ERRANT SATELLITES

PARIS — An investigation is blaming a design flaw for the inaccurate deployment of two satellites intended to bolster Europe's answer to the GPS. The results of the inquiry, released Wednesday by launch company Arianespace, said the error happened about 35 minutes into the Aug. 22 liftoff, when the satellites were sent into the wrong orbits. The inquiry found that a line of cold helium froze a crucial chemical compound in a nearby feed line. SENT: 130 words.

FRANCE-PILOTS STRIKE

PARIS — Air France-KLM says a 14-day pilots' strike that grounded about half the airline's flights cost the company 500 million euros ($631 million). The company gave the estimate in a statement Wednesday, and said it hoped to accelerate development of Transavia, a low-cost affiliate that was at the center of the standoff. SENT: 130 words.

BRITAIN-NUCLEAR POWER

BRUSSELS — The European Union's competition watchdog has accepted Britain's bid to heavily subsidize the construction and operation of a new 16-billion pound ($26 billion) nuclear power plant. The EU's executive Commission said Wednesday the subsidies, which include guaranteeing the plant operator a fixed above-market electricity price for 35 years, won't unduly distort fair competition. SENT: 130 words.

EUROPE-MIGRANTS

ATHENS, Greece — The U.N. refugee agency is urging the European Union to overhaul its policy toward Syrian refugees, warning the number of fatal accidents at sea could rise further as winter approaches. The UNHCR also urged the 28-nation bloc to provide emergency financial assistance to Greece, Italy and Malta to deal with the soaring number of illegal sea crossings. SENT: 130 words.

CYPRUS-TURKEY-PEACE TALKS

NICOSIA, Cyprus — A United Nations envoy is urging Cyprus and Turkey to avoid any escalation of tensions in a row over Ankara's planned gas search in waters where the Cypriot government has already licensed companies to drill. Espen Barth Eide on Wednesday urged all sides to "act responsibly" and to "create an understanding" about potential gas reserves off the ethnically divided island. SENT: 130 words.